Many motor vehicles, particularly sport utility vehicles and minivans, are equipped with rear seat assemblies that can be moved from a seating configuration, in which a passenger can sit in the seat, to a so-called “load floor” configuration, in which the seatback of a recliner seat assembly is folded forward to assume a horizontal orientation and thereby facilitate cargo stowage.
Typically, a locking mechanism is provided for holding the seat assembly in the seating configuration, and the locking mechanism can be released to permit moving the seat assembly to the load floor configuration. In seat assemblies where the locking mechanism automatically returns to a locked position when the force applied to the handle used to release the locking mechanism is removed, returning the seat assembly to the seating configuration may require an individual to use one hand to apply a force maintaining the release handle in the unlocked position while the other hand lifts the seatback from the folded position. This is undesirable as it requires the individual to have both hands free for the task and may require the individual to assume an awkward position while returning the seat to the seating configuration.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an assembly for holding a seat locking mechanism in an open position that overcomes the aforementioned and other disadvantages.